GENKI: Bluetooth Audio for the Nintendo Switch

$531,898

9,389

Together at last, GENKI gives you the freedom and convenience of using your favorite wireless Bluetooth headphones when you’re gaming on the go.

GENKI in the Press

How will you use it?

GENKI is the first and only Bluetooth audio transmitter built to the USB Type-C standard.

Fits flush and designed for the Nintendo Switch

Why USB Type-C? There have been some workaround solutions that we’ve tested but none of them were a satisfying solution for the Nintendo Switch. These workarounds introduce extra latency, static noise, lower fidelity and volume and many do not support newer devices such as the Apple AirPods.

This led us to create a better solution - through the USB-C port we're able to simply remove the redundant audio conversions providing gamers the best latency and audio quality.

You never know who you’ll meet out there

One of the things we love is detaching the Joy-Cons for an instant transformation into a two-player portable console. But chances are you’re waiting around in a pretty noisy place so one of the coolest features we have is multiplayer support.

Where do I insert the quarter into this thing?

So maybe you’ve noticed that the two buttons on GENKI are labeled 1P and 2P. With this setup we actually stream stereo audio to two separate headphones, neat huh. So you can better enjoy SnipperClips or Hulu with loved ones.

There’s so many awesome indie co-op games on the Switch

Cutting the cord prevents accidents like this

Supporting the Bluetooth 5.0 standard, GENKI is compatible with all the Bluetooth headphones out there today (and tomorrow).

Apologies if we didn’t include your favorite headphone here

But what if you wanted to unleash the full potential of your Bluetooth speakers? We know those built-in speakers are pretty weak so we got you covered.

And did we mention there’s a lot of range? We got more than 60 feet in our field tests but that’s probably further than your Joy-Cons will ever work anyway.

Latency matters

If you’ve ever experienced audio where voices don’t seem to synchronize with what you’re watching you know it can be quite distracting. This is even more important in games where your reaction to a sound can mean success and game over.

Note: aptX codecs are fast but cannot work when paired with two headphones

To combat this, we made sure GENKI included the fastest industry leading audio codecs. With aptX Low Latency we can achieve sub 40ms latency. Typically, the human ear can not distinguish below 100ms so rest assured you’ve got the best.

Automatically detected as a USB audio device

GENKI follows the Nintendo’s USB audio protocol and therefore receives power directly from your Nintendo Switch. But don’t worry, it only draws 0.02 Watts. To get an idea that’s like 1% of your Nintendo Switch’s battery, which is less power than if you had used the built-in speakers.

This means you don’t ever have to charge GENKI. And because a battery isn’t needed, there is absolutely no risk of bricking or damaging your console like third party docks.

Dock Adapter Stealthily Hiding in the Back Panel

The dock adapter is a simple USB adapter enabling you to use GENKI with your Nintendo Switch docked. Just plug it into any of the three USB ports in the dock; it can even be safely tucked inside the back panel to be hidden.

Playing late into the night without disturbing others

Dock Adapter can also used on the external USB ports of the Dock

Portable Stand is a solid upgrade to the built-in kickstand

The portable kickstand is made to support a better tabletop experience when you’re playing on-the-go with friends. Its collapsible and built with a sturdy metal frame. We think we’ve improved on the original built-in kickstand in every way.

Doesn’t everyone pack Joy-Con steering wheels?

In our updates we've also introduced several color options - you will be able to specify your color choice at the end of the campaign.

All add-on options can be selected when we send out a survey to confirm your choices and final shipping address.

First Time Pairing

Plug in GENKI to the Nintendo Switch USB Type-C port

Hold the 1P button to pair with your audio device

Activate pairing on your audio device

Enjoy wireless Nintendo Switch audio

Reconnecting Next Time

Press the 1P button to reconnect with your audio device

Enjoy wireless audio, again

Multiplayer Mode

Hold the 2P button to pair with your second audio device

Enjoy wireless audio, with a friend

Together, we founded Human Things in 2017 on the idea that real objects could be special like those found in video games – you know the ones where you open treasure chests filled with enchanted items that give your character special abilities.

It all started with the journey of building the first-ever drone flight academy for Toys”R”Us. Eddie met Chris at innovation consultancy IDEO and at a local makerspace they found Andrew hosting a workshop teaching makers how to make carbon fiber racing drones. The rest is history.

AmericanMcGee: not as an awesome game designer but as an awesome wizard guiding us through the Kickstarter marketing wonderland

Damien McFerran: thank you for being the first to shine some light on our project on Nintendo Life while all other sites were staring away at E3

Ivette, Hank, Jennifer, Steven and Jacob: for being our awesome volunteer models for photos and video shoots last minute

Tiger: our cameraman for bringing an ARRI ALEXA camera to the party, way overkill but fun to film with

Lian: for helping with us all those crazy video edits while messing around in Turkey (blame him for edits)

r/NintendoSwitch: the intense subreddit for keeping us on our toes and challenging us to be on top of our sh*t

And finally, all of our early supporters who followed our landing page down this rabbit hole, we'll promise to be open and transparent and do everything we can to make this the best project you've ever backed

This project is promoted by Jellop, a direct­ response online advertising agency specializing in Kickstarter campaigns on Facebook Ads and Google AdWords.

Risks and challenges

For the past months, our team has been working day and night to dial in the design, production and logistics. We've been working closely with a manufacturer that is extremely experienced and makes some of the worlds most reliable bluetooth products and even though we have everything in place, there's always a risk building a new product.

We understand and acknowledge that no project comes without risk and challenges. Despite our planning, there are circumstances that may be out of our control. If we are met with these, we promise to communicate with full transparency to you.

Kickstarter is not a store.

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About US$ 49

Genki Combo - Day One Edition

39% off MSRP

Our favorite and most limited package. First day supporters get GENKI shipped first. Be among the first ones to play on-the-go, docked, and with others in tabletop mode with the comfort of your favorite wireless headphones or speakers.